Show us your vintage archtops and acoustics

Strangefan · October 2017

I know this is a very electric centric forum but I'm sure a few of us like our vintage hollows?? I love an old les paul as much as the next man but it's the hollow bodies that really do it for me,
here's mine.........
https://i.imgur.com/cwvcOKS.jpg

So show me yours!?.....

Strangefan · October 2017

Only me then. /thread/closed.

Corvus · October 2017

1958 Hofer Senator, not posh but had it for something like 28 years. In the queue for a neck reset though it's still playable.

http://alleykat.co.uk/images/stuff/hofner/front.jpg

Sounds surprisingly great in drop/open tuning run through fuzz & filth!

CloudNine · October 2017

My 1956 ES175. All original, aside from pickguard. And it's had a refret. Amazing thing, lowest action I have ever seen on a guitar, with no compromises, and it sounds beautiful, plugged or unplugged. It's so stable it literally never needs to be retuned. The neck profile is my favourite ever, really chunky with the softest of V shapes. Love the thing.

Bridge saddle in the pic I had made for roundwound strings, but I am back using the original saddle and flatwounds and that really gets the best out of the guitar.

rainer2859 · October 2017

Re-post, but i'll play anyway. Left is 1953 00028, right is 1947 017.
[Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/WwHQexz.jpg)

richh · October 2017

I've got vintage Fender & Gibson solidbodies, but the oldest I've got in archtop territory is a Yamaha AE18 sunburst archtop, probably around 1974, got off a guy on the Fretboard in a trade. So nowhere near as old or desirable as things like the 50's Gibsons posted above - if anybody is interested I can try to post a pic. I do love vintage archtops, and some day would like to get an old ES-175, perhaps instead of the solid body things I've got now. TBH I'm slightly confused by the valuations of the 50's Gibson ES series, there is quite a lot of variation out there.

Anyway, nice guitars, and I'll be interested to see what else gets posted here!

merlin · October 2017

My 1946 Kay. DeArmond goldfoil retro fitted, as were the volume and tone pots. And Jack socket, obviously.

Strangefan · October 2017

Thats better!!!!, some truly lovely guitars here!

MartinB · October 2017

Here's mine, a Kalamazoo KG-21, made by Gibson in around 1936. It's arguably not a true archtop, since the top is solid spruce formed into a dome over an X-brace rather than carved. The back and sides are mahogany which also appears to be solid. It's an unusual size too, small bodied but deep. The neck is a very chunky V profile which still has almost no relief even though it has no truss rod and has been wearing 13-56 strings for the last few years. It's quite distinctive sounding, lots of midrange, quite light in the bass and it needs a firm touch to really get it going (so a heavy flat pick or thumb pick suits it better than light fingerpicking). Every now and again I wonder about trading it for a nice flat top instead, but it is a fun guitar to have around.
I've dabbled with a couple of different magnetic pickups for it, but there isn't much clearance between the top and strings, and sticking anything to the top damps the acoustic sound too much for it to be worthwhile.

Image: https://image.ibb.co/dbcoab/front.jpg

Image: https://image.ibb.co/comQMG/back.jpg

guitars4you · October 2017

CloudNine said:

My 1956 ES175. All original, aside from pickguard. And it's had a refret. Amazing thing, lowest action I have ever seen on a guitar, with no compromises, and it sounds beautiful, plugged or unplugged. It's so stable it literally never needs to be retuned. The neck profile is my favourite ever, really chunky with the softest of V shapes. Love the thing.

Bridge saddle in the pic I had made for roundwound strings, but I am back using the original saddle and flatwounds and that really gets the best out of the guitar.

love this type of box - pre Elvis and the sounds of many records from the blues/swing/jive era was this type of guitar - love them and just wish I could play one like I want to play one (if you know what I mean) - Have you tried 1/2 wounds on it as a blend between flat and round ?

BigMonka · October 2017

Here's my late 50s Eko archtop that was given to my dad in the 60s.

Image: https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5745/23010241475_a01c22e799.jpg

Strangefan · October 2017

Flat wounds really do sound better, I wont put anything else on the gibbo now,

camf · October 2017

Crap picture of a lovely old guitar. 1962 Gibson ES-125.
https://i.imgur.com/0UwK1u9.jpg

Strangefan · October 2017

@camf my dream guitar that is!

camf · October 2017

Theoretically it's for sale but I keep changing my mind and not bumping the thread. I'd made a decision to minimise the number of guitars I have but I'm struggling to let it go.

merlin · October 2017

By the way, I'm gigging my Kay this evening....!

CloudNine · October 2017

guitars4you said:
Have you tried 1/2 wounds on it as a blend between flat and round ?

I haven't Mark, although may have a look next time round. Currently Thomastik Infeld 11's. Really doesn't seem to need anything heavier. The roundwounds were good fun for a while, these boxes are real rock and blues machines if needed, although almost anything with P90's is really.

guitars4you · October 2017

CloudNine said:

guitars4you said:
Have you tried 1/2 wounds on it as a blend between flat and round ?

I haven't Mark, although may have a look next time round. Currently Thomastik Infeld 11's. Really doesn't seem to need anything heavier. The roundwounds were good fun for a while, these boxes are real rock and blues machines if needed, although almost anything with P90's is really.

totally agree that it is a matter of opinion and I'm not sure that round wound suit such guitars - yet equally feel flat's are to dead unless a pure jazz man - I use 1/2 round on a f-hole box and like them and don't see them as a poor option for either flat or round - They work for me and likewise I use 11-52 with a wd G - D'addario make them - You can but try

prlgmnr · October 2017

Have a 1957 ES225TD, but no pictures of it. I'll see if I can be arsed to take any at any point.

Strangefan · October 2017

camf said:

Theoretically it's for sale but I keep changing my mind and not bumping the thread. I'd made a decision to minimise the number of guitars I have but I'm struggling to let it go.

God If wasn't a dad of 2 with a decidedly average income.!

Strangefan · October 2017

prlgmnr said:

Have a 1957 ES225TD, but no pictures of it. I'll see if I can be arsed to take any at any point.

My first gibson was a 225!brillaint guitars as long as you change the all in one bridge!

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